This invention relates to color video projection systems and particularly to a single light valve panel color projection display.
Projection television (PTV) and video color display systems, especially rear projection display systems, are a popular way to produce large screen displays, i.e. picture diagonal of 40 inches or greater, as the projection method provides displays which are lighter, cheaper, and in many cases, superior in brightness and contrast, than non-projection based displays. Direct view cathode ray tube (CRT) based systems still dominate non-projection display technology, especially for, 9 inch to 30 inch color displays. In unit and dollar volume, the major market for all such displays is the consumer market. Size, cost, brightness, contrast and to a lesser extent, resolution are important characteristics of consumer designs. Because large direct view CRT based displays are heavier, bulkier, and more expensive, projection consumer displays dominate in sizes over forty inches.
Consumer projection technology has been dominated by a system employing three small monochrome type CRTs, one each for the red, green and blue portions of the image, and three projection lenses. These systems employ complex electronic circuits to distort the rasters of the images on at least two of the CRTs so that the composite projection image is converged. Effecting the proper adjustment of the electronics to obtain the converged image is a time consuming, tedious process. Further maintaining the quality of the convergence in the system after it has been set up at the factory remains an issue.
CRT based projection systems require a stable, source of high voltage, with the attendant requirement of giving careful attention to avoiding excess X-ray generation. The CRTs and projection lenses are not inexpensive components, so the requirement of using three of each add substantially to the cost of the systems. In three CRT-three lens PTV systems, there is also a tendency for the image to change color depending on the horizontal viewing angle--a phenomenon called "color shift". Color shift can be partially controlled by using special projection screen designs. These designs require meeting difficult production tolerances for screen registration and thickness. If not for the requirement of controlling color shift, it would be much easier to design and produce projection screens to provide optimal distribution of light.
With a view toward the advantages of projection systems over direct view, but also some disadvantages, which were just detailed, engineers have been seeking alternative means of designing projection display systems. Accordingly, patents have issued and products have been produced employing three, matrix addressed, small light valve panels, most commonly TFT (thin film transistors) array LCD panels, instead of CRTs. These systems require only a single projection lens, if the light from three LCD panels are combined via the use of dichroic filters, a.k.a. dichroic mirrors. Convergence of the images is obtained by precision adjustment of the alignment of two of the panels. Initial interest in such displays has been their compactness when employed for front projection, and excellent contrast. These LCD panels are costly components, and consequently these LCD projectors cost more than CRT based projectors.
The present invention also differs from "single panel" designs which employ special light valve panels in which separate sub-pixels are used to modulate respective primary colors. Such color panel technologies have three limitations: firstly, the requirement for sub-pixels limits the effective image resolution. Secondly, white light falls on each of the sub-pixels, but only the color of the light for which the sub-pixel is designed is usable--the remainder is wasted. Thus a two-thirds loss of efficiency results. A further loss in efficiency is caused by the reduced effective aperture of the panel for a given polychrome resolution capability--because of the presence of the sub-pixels with attendant masks and traces. Thirdly, state of the art panel resolution is lower, or the panel cost is higher, because of using subpixels.